Flood Damage Cleanup Company

Record Cold Gripping Midwest with More Snow on the Way

As millions of residents in the Midwest have been busy digging out from deep snow, they’re now facing yet another blast of winter in the form of sub-zero temperatures which may shatter records. The National Weather Service stated this weekend that temperatures in places like Detroit will plunge to below the zero mark on Monday. Highs Monday in many communities are only expected to be in negative single digits with lows in negative double digits which is downright cold!

The NWS says that a polar vortex is the cause of the deep freeze. This is literally an air mass coming down from the Arctic Circle which is something not seen often. The good news is that people have been warned about the extreme cold now for several days so hopefully everyone will be prepared.

People living in the Midwest are being reminded to prevent their pipes from freezing. Pipes most vulnerable are those in places like attics, crawl spaces and garages. Even pipes hidden behind cabinets in kitchens, baths and laundry rooms can easily freeze when it’s very cold outdoors. To prevent pipe freeze-up, people are being encouraged to spend a few dollars on some specially made pipe insulation that’s sold at nearly all home improvement and hardware stores. Newspaper can also be used by those who want a cheaper way to go. Just ¼ of an inch of newspaper wrapped around a pipe and secured with tape can prevent freeze-ups.

In records dating back to the 1870s, the city of Detroit has only experienced five days in which the high has failed to reach zero. The last time this occurred in the Motor City was in January of 1994 when the high was -4. The high on Tuesday in Detroit may indeed break that all-time record as forecasters are saying that the mercury levels are not expected to rise much above -4 or so. If Detroit gets the 6 to 10 inches of snowfall it’s being forecast to receive, the city’s 40 plows will find it difficult to keep streets and roadways clear wherein a city-wide snow emergency may be declared. There is already around a foot of snow on the ground across the metro Detroit area so more will only make travel increasingly difficult at the start of the new work week.